Vapor-electric apparatus.



No.'820,348. 4 PATENTED MAY 8, 196a.

' .w. R. BURROWS.

VAPOR ELECTRIC APPARATUS} .APPLIUATION FILED MAB-10, 1905.

Witnesses? Inventor:

William Rfi grrow's M t/ 7 Q b 10 current is con UN TED s'rAg j,

PATENT orrion 'ILLIAM R. BURRUVVS, OF NEWARK, NElV. JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TOGENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEWV YORK.

VAPOR ELECTRlC APPARATUS. I

Specification of Letters Patent.

application filed March 10, 1905. Serial No. 249,340.

Patented May 8, 1906.

To M when it ntwy concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM R. BURROWS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Newark, county of Essex, State of New Jersey, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Vapor Electric Apparatus, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates particularly to yapor electric ap aratus of thattype in which ducted through an evacuated chamber rendered conductive byvapor from a mercury electrode.

In such apparatus as heretofore constructed it has been customary toconduct the our rent to or from the mercury electrode by means of aplatinum wire hermetically sealed through the glass wall of theevacuated chamber. Platinum is used for this purpose as its coefficientof expansion is substantially 2c the same as that of glass, so that theapparatus may undergo considerable changes in temperature withoutdestruction of the seal. I have found that such seals are subject todeterioration because of the amalgamation of 2 5 the platinum wire, andI have also found that unless this platinum wire projects a considerabledistance into the mercury there is liability of heating at the surfaceof contact of platinum and mercury. Another source of 1 3o danger tosuch tubes arises from the fact that when the tube is suddenly inverted,as may occur during transportation or manufacture, the rush of mercuryfrom one end of the tube to the other is liable to strike the wall ofthe '3 5 fragile vessel with such force as to fracture it,

To overcome all these difliculties, I have devised the improved form ofleading-in con ductor descri ed more particularly in the followingdescription, taken in connection with the accompanyin drawings.

igure 1 is an e evation of a mercury lamp or rectifier provided with myimproved form of leading-1n conductor. Fig. 2 is a detail View showingone modification of the leading- 4 5 in conductor adapted for lampscarrying high currents, and Fig. 3 is an enlar ed View of the leading-inconductor shown in Fi 1 The evacuated chamber 1, of g. ass or othersuitable material, is provided with two anodes 5o 2 and 3 of carbon anda mercury cathode 4 contained in the tubular extension 5 of theevacuated chamber. An auxiliary electrode 6 is provided for the purposeof starting or exciting the tube in the manner well known to personsskilled in the art and in its mechanical details is essentially the sameas the large electrode 4.

To seal up the lower end of tube 5, I turn the glass walls back to forma conical projec tion 7, through the center of which passes theleading-in conductor. This conductor is made up of three parts weldedtogether end to end. The center part 9 is of platinum and is completelyembedded in the glass Wall of the tube, and thereby protected fromamalgamation. The upper part 11 of the leadingin conductor is of ironand is of considerable length and cross-section to increase the area ofcontact between. the solid conductor and the liquid conductor. The lowerpart 10 may be of copper or other suitable material. A cylindrical disk12, of iron, is riveted or otherwise secured to the top of the ironconductor 11 and is of such diameter that a small annular space is leftbetween the outer edge of the disk and the inner surface of the glasstube 5. This disk is located a considerable distance below the surfaceof the mercury electrode and serves not-only to increase the area ofcontact between the leading-in conductor and the mercury cathode, butalso serves as a baflle-plate to constrict the passage-way into thetubular extension 5, and thus prevent the sudden rush of mercury into orout of this extension in case the apparatus is suddenly inverted.

By the construction above described am altime the apparatus is protectedfrom the l shock of moving mercury. The lower end of the tubularrejection 5 may be embedded. in a mold of p aster-ofaris 13, containedin a co dper cup 14, to which the copper wire 10 is so ered or otherwisesecured.

Fig. 3 shows in detail the bathe-plate 12, connected to the top of theconductor 11. Although this disk may be attached to the conductor in anyconvenient manner, I prefer to make a slight projection or enlargement15 near the end of conductor 11 and to slip the disk on over the end ofthe conductor and rivet down the end, so that the disk is held firmly inplace.

The modification shown in Fig. 2 is es ecially adapted for use in a lampor recti ier carrying heavy current, as the (plurality of leading-1nconductors 16, 17, an 18 gives a l i i \Vimt claiin new, and desire tosecure 1 by Letters Patent of the United States, is

i. A frangible vessel having a leading-in oonduotor, said conductorconsisting in part of platinum embedded in the Wall of said vessol,SiLiLi conductor having; another part con si ting of iion-amalgam ringIHQiaLi, and a body of mercury surrounding said his named part and conmating tliermvitli.

A frangible vessel containing mercury, and lezidi n condivz-torcomprising;- two nn" 0 of said "parts lining of non-nmalgz1- muting motimid contacting with said znorwry, tin. ond part living of inntoriaisub-- inot to anmlgsnmtion and conipletoly oinbodded in ilw wall oi thefrangible vossoi.

sni having; 1, loadingdn oon- A. Fragile) w:

iiiHiKH', H2Ll i oonoui-tni- (ionsistinn' in part oi platinum:El'liiMdtlOti in tliowall of sand vessel,

and liming: anollnrr part consisting of iron sin'inmmtrd in; mi irondisk, and a body of mercury surrounding said disk and contacting ti xvitli.

4. i'i'ugilo vessel Having a leading-in conductor, said conductorconsisting in port of a metal wlioso oooilioiont of host expansion issubstantially equal to that of the Wall of said Vissul. in which itisembedded, said conductor having another part consisting of a non.-

nrgo contact area between the solid and the l l l l l l r amalganmtingmetal surmounted by s metal disk, and a body of n'ieroiny surroundingsaid disk and in Contact therewith and also in con.- tii-ot with sui dnon-:nnnlginnziting metal A vapor electric apparatus having an evacuatedchamber of fragile material, a inoronry shim-trod o therein, a pluralityof lendingin conductors making elnoti'imi oontziotwith said n'iei'ourv,and a n'mtnl d1 mounted on said conductors and rigidly simportsd tlio1'eby, said disk and the inner Wti l of said charm be: forn'iing arostriotrd passage-Way to reiiird tlio flow of said in orourv from itsnormal position.

6. it vapor electric apparatus having an evnci itod chamber, a, mercuryelectrode therein, 1L plurality of loading-in. ciniductors having"extensions of non-s1nalgnnmtingj metal immersed in said invii-nryolei'ztroi ie and making elnotrici-tl contact therewith, a, d an irondisk rigidly secured to said isnding-in conductors. said disk and theinner Wall of said chamber forming 2iv restricted passageway to retardthe low of said n'ivrcury from its normal position.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 8th d ay of March,1905.

v NILIJIAB'I R. BURROXVS.

Witnesses: Unis. Ii. HEELEY,

S. Vv'nrrrinEAn.

